The ‘sectarian’ Church. Catholicism in Italy since John Paul II

Abstract

Many surveys report that the rate of church attendance in Italy is still very high, one of the highest in Europe. Are these data reliable? Is there really a 'Catholic effect' in Italy, a persistent popular affection for the Catholic Church, a slower rate of secularization? It is difficult to give a definitive answer to these questions but there are many elements that would contradict the optimistic (for the Catholic Church) view: 1) different (and more pessimistic) data on church attendance; 2) the decreasing number of priests and their ageing; and 3) disaffection among the younger generation. A good part of the Catholic hierarchy, and the two last popes, firmly believe that the rise of new movements (Comunione and Liberazione, Neocatecumenals, Charismatic Renewals and others) may correct the secularization trend and the demise of traditional territorial parishes. But encouraging these movements requires promoting a fundamental change in the cultural and organizational form of Catholicism towards a sort of never-seen 'sectarian Church'. RésuméDe nombreuses études indiquent que le taux de la pratique religieuse en Italie est encore très élevé, l'un des plus élevés d'Europe. Ces données sont-elles vraiment fiables? L'effet catholique -l'attachement très répandu et persistant de la population à l'Église catholique -peut-il expliquer un taux plus faible de sécularisation en Italie? Il est difficile de donner une réponse définitive à ces questions. Il existe cependant de nombreuses autres données qui contrediraient cette vision optimiste (du moins, pour

Mediatized Catholicism—Minority Voices and Religious Authority in the Digital Sphere

“…As in other European contexts, the Catholic Church's moral authority over the faithful in Italy has been declining (Chaves 1994), though to a lesser extent than in the northern European countries (Garelli 2014;Pace 2013). At the same time, internal secularization has resulted in the intensification of the differences and the competition between the many groups and souls composing the Catholic Church to the extent that some scholars have framed it as a "sectarian" Church (Marzano 2013(Marzano , 2018. Thus, competing Catholic discourses and the Catholic Church's internal diversity (Diotallevi 2002) have become more and more visible in the public sphere.…”

Church Attendance and Religious Change in Italy, 1968–2010: A Multilevel Analysis of Pooled Datasets

“…Considering the linear decrease in church attendance characterizing the last 20 years, one could wonder whether this trend is generalized in the whole Italian population or if, instead, different groups have experienced distinctive tendencies over the last two decades. In particular, some scholars have suggested that the pace of religious change has been faster among younger generations (see, among others, Marzano ; Segatti and Brunelli ). Given the large number of respondents in the study, the Multipurpose Household Survey offers the opportunity to empirically check the veracity of this statement.…”

What Do We Do with the Works of Scandalous Founders in the Catholic Church?

“…One element of this intricate historical context is the significance attributed during the pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI to new movements and communities, particularly to their charismatic founders. These new movements were seen as privileged agents of a new evangelization in a society undergoing a crisis of faith and growing disenchantment with religious institutions (Marzano 2013). However, over the course of a few years, the criminal and scandalous behavior of a significant number of charismatic founders and leaders of these movements has come to light.…”